Instant Heirloom: Stitched and Stenciled Pillows by Liane of Enhabiten

I have been a fan of Liane's work for a while now, particularly her embroidered pillows, and I'm delighted to share this Q&A with you today.

Name: Liane Tyrrel
Website/Blog enhabiten.blogspot.com and enhabiten.etsy.com
twitter.com/enhabiten
Location: New Hampshire

Tell me a little bit about what you make. 
For my shop I make pillows mostly. I use organic hemp and vintage fabrics and organic kapok stuffing. I'm using folk art inspired stencils and some embroidery. I'm also working on some vintage beaded necklaces for the shop. My plan is to offer a wider variety of things in the future, including art.

How did you decide to start the line?  It was a fluke. I was running a farmers' market in my town and had previously sold handmade soap there. I was just testing out some other things and sold pillows a couple times. A fellow friend/vendor mentioned etsy. I tried it without any expectations and it took off.

Did you have any teachers who became mentors along the way? 
There are a couple women I know who run successful handmade businesses.  They haven't been my teachers directly but their tenacity and creativity and self-sufficiency affected me indirectly a lot.  I saw them doing it and thought I'd like to have those qualities and do what they do.  I taught myself to sew and any other process I use I figure out through trial and error. My background is a degree in art/painting and I just like to experiment and make things.

 













Where do you find your inspiration?  
Old things, books and stories, early american folk art, other artists

What's the best part of your day? 
I don't know that I have a favorite, but I do just really really enjoy being able to create my own flow to the day and having the freedom that comes with running your own gig. Every day is different.

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What's a favorite item that you've made?
Pillow wise, I really don't know if I can answer that—each new thing is a favorite until the next one. I like making myself clothes and I have a series of small paintings I made back a few years. They have sold but 2 of them are still particular favorites.

Why do you enjoy doing this type of craft, which takes a lot of time and manual effort?
 I love working with textiles and I'm fascinated by interiors and the perfect one in my mind's eye. I suppose the things I make are working toward getting to that perfect interior space.